


Changeling

by seamspooky



Series: Glimwood Fae [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: bede is a changeling but doesnt know it, fae bede
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:15:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26953483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seamspooky/pseuds/seamspooky
Summary: Opal knew the whims of the Fae; she had spent all of her nearly ninety years interacting with the mystic denizens of the Glimwood Tangle, from childhood to the present. They worked by their own set of rules, ones that were alien to humans, but practically sacred to the arcane creatures. They were simultaneously capricious and avid rule followers.Still, however, she had to admit that she was quite surprised to see one of them lurking among the busy city of Hammerlocke, in the form of a young, sulking boy.
Series: Glimwood Fae [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1966903
Comments: 3
Kudos: 47





	Changeling

Opal knew the whims of the Fae; she had spent all of her nearly ninety years interacting with the mystic denizens of the Glimwood Tangle, from childhood to the present. They worked by their own set of rules, ones that were alien to humans, but practically sacred to the arcane creatures. They were simultaneously capricious and avid rule followers.

Still, however, she had to admit that she was quite surprised to see one of them lurking among the busy city of Hammerlocke, in the form of a young, sulking boy.

The concept of changelings wasn’t an unfamiliar concept to Opal; she knew the Fae, from time to time, would substitute a human child for one of their own. To most mortals, this would seem nothing but cruel to both the human child and its parents; but for the Faeries, it was nothing but a fair trade. They could not understand why a human would so strongly prefer their original offspring over an imposter when both children were of (to the Fae, at least) equal worth. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth--and a child for a child. That was a core belief of the Fairfolk. 

But this practice was rare, even more so now that the humans had advanced technology, such as DNA tests, at their disposal, raising the likelihood of the parent’s noticing; hence why Opal was so caught off guard. This boy was undoubtedly of Faeblood. His pure-white curls that were much too natural-looking to be dyed, his odd eyes of a peculiar lavender hue, even his facial features; they were all unquestionable signs of him being one of the Fairfolk.

Opal doubted he was aware that he was any less human than anyone else; the Fairfolk traded changelings for human children while they were still infants, so as to lessen the possibility of the parents realizing their child was not their own. The boy would have been much too young when swapped to ever remember a life that wasn’t amongst humans.

The best course of action, Opal decided right then and there, would be to take him under her wing and introduce him to his own nonhuman identity. In a stroke of luck, it appeared that the boy (“Bede”, he said he was called) had recently been disowned by his guardian and sponsor, the chairman of the Galarian Pokemon League. This allowed for him to be taken in by Opal, but all the while she couldn’t help frowning. She had never liked the chairman; he was much too close minded in regards to anything relating to the Fae. Abandoning a child like this, though...she shook her head. If pink had an opposite, he would be it. ( _Grey,_ Opal decided. _The opposite of pink is grey--the color of steel)._

Bede lacked any knowledge of anything Faerie-related, as Opal had suspected. He had grown up among humans, never even considering he was any different than them (that is, never considering he was any different in regards of humanity; the boy had a good deal of pride and seemed to think he was superior in skill and importance than most others). At first he was frustrated by and complained about “fairy-type bootcamp” (or so he said when he thought Opal wasn’t listening. _Tsk, tsk_ \--Opal was never not keeping an eye on him, making sure he didn't get into trouble, which he often did anyways, what with that arrogance of his).

__

But as time went on he developed a sort of pride, not in his own talent, but in the work he was putting into the training and duties given by Opal. Bede _wanted_ to please Opal and make her proud--a desire that he obviously had had once before, when he was under the chairman’s care, but had been unable to fulfill. Opal, unlike Bede’s former guardian, made sure to encourage him when she saw he was working hard. Yes, the tasks and training she had him do were oftentimes difficult or tedious, but she would never keep a blind eye to a child’s vital need of care and encouragement, unlike Chairman Rose.

__

Despite all of the progress Bede had made, however, Opal still had yet to tell him of his identity as a Fae changeling. His pokemon certainly sensed it; fairy-type pokemon were naturally drawn to things relating to their Faerie cousins, sharing common traits, abilities, and magic (they weren’t called ‘fairy-types’ for nothing). Still, he himself had yet to catch on. Bede never pondered why he felt so at home in the Glimwood Tangle, why its residents warmed up so quickly to him, and why he had such an easy time navigating it while many other trainers got lost on their way to Ballonlea for the gym challenge. He shrugged off the fact that whenever he placed his hand on something metal for too long it would end up with a blister or rash; he assumed it was some sort of rare allergy or something along the lines of that.

__

Opal wondered if she should even tell him; he was intelligent, and would probably figure it out eventually, even if he hadn't yet. It could be one of her little tests she had him do as part of his training, albeit one he wouldn’t even know he was taking until he had already figured out the answer. Yes...that’s what she would do.

__

\---

__

Later, as Bede was playing with his pokemon after finishing up another day’s worth of fairy-type bootcamp, he noted that Opal, casually finishing off another cup of tea ( _Really, it’s like she lives off the stuff,_ Bede thought. _It’s almost suppertime and she’s still sipping away, that old bat._ ) had a strange, sort of knowing look on her face. It was the same look she had when she sprung a sudden, surprise quiz on Bede or introduced a twist on a task she was having him do. Strangely enough, despite Bede’s fear of having to go through another hour of fairy bootcamp, nothing of the sort happened. Bede refused to let his guard down until it was time to get in bed, not wanting to get his hopes up. Still, nothing occurred. His sylveon chirped curiously at his confusion as it rested its head on his blanket (Sylveon oftentimes would sleep in the bed with Bede in the evenings. His other pokemon either preferred to sleep in their pokeballs rather than a bed or just simply were too large to fit with both themself and Bede in there).

__

_Whatever,_ Bede thought as he gently scratched Sylveon behind its ears, much to the pokemon’s delight. _If she springs something up on me in the middle of the night, then fine. I’m tired and going to go to sleep, even if it means a bad score on that old gran’s ‘one-o-clock-in-the-morning-fairy-type-quiz’ or whatever it is she has planned._

__

With that, Bede slowly drifted into unconsciousness, dreaming of fairies in his sleep. Opal, peeking through the doorway, smiled softly at the sight of the peacefully dozing changeling.

__


End file.
